AMMAN - Fastlink, a member of the giant MTC mobile telecommunication provider, changed its name to Zain on Saturday.
Company officials revealed plans to further upgrade services and lower costs through the creation of "One Network" which would enable customers to use their mobile lines in countries where the MTC operates without paying roaming call surcharges.
Rebranding of Fastlink was announced simultaneously with the change to Zain in Kuwait, Bahrain and Sudan where MTC also operates. The remaining MTC networks, which serve 32 million customers in 21 countries, will be fully re-branded as Zain in due course.
The new brand will have no impact on Fastlink's current pre- and post-paid products and services in Jordan, and customers are not required to reset handsets or other mobile devices, Saad Nasir, CEO for Zain in Jordan said Saturday.
Customers travelling to Kuwait, Bahrain and Sudan should select the Zain network when offered, although some handsets may still show the MTC network name which will continue to function, according to a statement received by The Jordan Times.
"Today, we are the service provider of choice for more than two million customers and, following the rebranding, the Zain family in Jordan will now join an extended community of 32 million, giving us even greater opportunity to work together to build a better future for all," said Nasir.
He added: "Throughout our transformation, we will continue to provide the best possible service for our customers. We are, and always have been, a community-focused company and we will continue to invest in social outreach programmes which made Fastlink a role model for corporations in Jordan."
Nasir expected the creation of "One Network" in the region to take place in less than four years. At the time, customers can roam in the countries where Zain operates without the need to pay roaming surcharges.
MTC officials said the new brand will help harness the growth of the group by passing on benefits of the depth and breadth of products and services available across all of its operating companies. It will also help increase competitiveness at the global level.
"Now is the time to launch a single, unified identity that will propel us towards our goal of becoming one of the world's top ten telecommunications companies during the next four years. We are extremely excited to join the Zain family and to becoming one of the most recognised global Arab brands," Nasir elaborated.
Zain chief executive officer Saad Al Barrak said: "The new identity will have a positive impact for customers as they come to experience and enjoy the same quality of service, reliability and standards of excellence wherever they live, work or travel in the Middle East, Africa or globally as we continue to expand our boundaries of operation."
In July 2007, the group was awarded the third mobile licence in Saudi Arabia and expects to start operations there as Zain in early 2008. This will make Zain the fourth largest mobile operator in the world in terms of geographic footprint.
Recently, Zain's operation in Iraq, mtc atheer, was successful in its bid for a 15 year nationwide licence and will rebrand to Zain soon.
With a current market capitalisation exceeding $30 billion, the group shares will continue to be publicly traded on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) and the Group's stock ticker code "TELE" will change to "ZAIN" with immediate effect.
According to the statement, the Zain brand and its new theme - A Wonderful World - capture the energy, inspiration and diversity of the group's customers, employees and other stakeholders. The new logo and its colourful identity reflect the group's freshness, boldness and vitality with the "swirl" communicating the idea of an aura, something important to human life echoing growth, progression and diversity.
Zain was chosen for its simplicity, memorability and ease of pronunciation across the global marketplace and, as an added bonus, Zain was found to be rich in positive connotations, the statement added.
For example, in Arabic, Zain means "beautiful, good and wonderful", in Latin it means "dark horse" and it has many positive meanings in other cultures found in Africa, Asia, Europe and beyond.It tested extremely well among cross sections of the potential global audience, the statement concluded.
By Mohammad Ghazal
© Jordan Times 2007
